After the sad demise of the 7 yr old Baby Bronto to multiple system breakdowns in November 2019, I was crushed... for a long time. I leased a horse for 6 months and we variously hated each other. He went home.
Finally I started looking for a new horse, during Covid, and found out that my entire, robust budget for a ready-to-go-Prelim eventer would only buy me a youngster or something pre-broken. I spent 7 months looking everywhere, from the USA to Ireland to Germany and the Netherlands. I used two agents, I used Facebook, I made a spreadsheet and inquired about the 114 prospects I found seriously interesting... one by one they failed - either on videos, missing details disclosed later or xrays that the radiologist said showed problems. I actually vetted 5 horses - stem to stern rads, separate radiology reports and $All The GD Things$... my budget was being hit by all this!
Horse #114, the last one I vetted, only had issues we (vet, me, radiologist) deemed livable-with: some sidebone. So I bought her - sight unseen! She was a 4 yr old Silla Argentino (just turned 5 last month) of Selle Francais jumper breeding brought to the US a few months earlier by a trainer to sell. Greenbroke but forward! Nimble! Smart! Leaps tall buildings at a single bound! A total rocket - just my type
She has been with me since the end of January, and in that time we have got new dressage and jump saddles fitted (OMG, what fresh hell...) and gone to 7 shows - 4 schooling and 3 recognized events. We ran 2x at Intro eventing, and 2x at Beginner Novice. In the ribbons every time - she finished her year with a 3rd in tough company at her 2nd BN at a new venue she's never seen. She is a LION on cross country, and has the most ridiculous overjumping greenness in the stadium rounds that makes me laugh and spectators a bit
She ended her year with just 0.4 jumping penalties total! Dressage is tricksy but I think we have found a path forward to a good connection and I know we will just get better and better. Next year she will move up to Novice, and Training will not be far behind that... my Prelim goal in sight.All this to say, while I put my dreams on hold with the sweet Baby Bronto and devoted myself to trying to help him, for it all to fall apart in the most heartbreaking way, I am now back with all engines firing. Never give up! My little mare might be green but her raw talent is there for anyone to see - building her confidence and shaping her considerable drive will be a total joy. I have a new trainer who is equally enthusiastic about the mare and her prospects and I'm just living my best horse life. At last. It has been a LONG slow road but fingers and toes crossed the mare stays sound and well and it keeps being FUN!
Hope you can see this pic of my spicy little princess, Verona:
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